Google map of Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat
COTABATO CITY – Police authorities in Sultan Kudarat province have intensified their campaign against loose firearms in the hands of civilians following a freak accident that killed a 10-year-old girl.
Col. Noel Kinazo, Sultan Kudarat police director, said Thursday that the girl, identified as Angel Bliss Pututan, died of pellet wounds in her upper torso.
The victim, a Grade 4 pupil, was killed when a 12-gauge shotgun she and her brother were tinkering with accidentally went off in Barangay Palavilla, Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat on Wednesday. Her sibling was unharmed.
“Their parents were out in the forest looking for food when the freak accident happened around 10 a.m.,” Kinazo said.
Police investigators are still trying to determine why the victim’s parents, who are both still in shock, were keeping a shotgun at home.
Celia Avanzado, Palavilla village chair, said the children most probably thought that the firearm was just a toy gun.
Kinazo directed all police chiefs across the province to intensify the collection of loose firearms now in the hands of civilians.
Owners of unlicensed guns could face charges for violation of Republic Act No. 10591, also known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. (PNA)
